Unfinished Reviews by guests

René137
Level 7
Montreal, Canada

Unfinished Reviews by guests

Does anybody else feel disappointed when a guest doesn't leave you a review? Despite all your efforts in making them comfortable, providing many amenities and trying to help as much as we can. Even when we ask in person or through Airbnb messages or even in some rare cases sending messages directly to the guest phone number/email. I know ppl are busy, but is that always the reason? Or maybe they don't want to hurt us with some bad feedback? Or...?

 

Reviews are important for our listing's exposure and also to see ways of improving by guest's suggestion (although I don't rely only in those public reviews). Not sure about you, but when I'm buying something or booking some place I try to read some reviews of the product first, that gives us a good indication of what to expect.

 

Also in order to maintain the Super Host badge we need (good) reviews. I know it's better not getting a review than having a bad one (which sometimes is the case). But even though, if it was bad review for us and IF it was in fact a fair/honest/appropriate review it's good for the community, right?

 

Is there any trick you guys implement to help in this matter or shd we just settle for 30% of the guests won't review anyway? I'm going to leave my guests a welcome letter (as suggested somewhere) and beside other stuff, I'll highlight the importance of their review.

 

I'd have 3 suggestions for AirBnb to improve in this regard:

  1. Show a different rate displayed in the guest/host profile, like we have for Response rate (Response rate: 100%, Response time: within an hour)
  2. Show the number of completed reservations for every listing and not only number of reviews: ...100 bookings, 70 reviews...
  3. Somehow affect the guest rating. (too harsh?)
10 Replies 10
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

I agree with you, @René137 .  I have a high rate of reviews by guests but I have had a few non-reviewing guests.  Early on in my hosting life I asked a guest why they didn't leave a review and the response surprised me.  She thought I didn't need her positive review since I had so many 😄  

 

I think we are all surveyed to death by every kind of business, product, service, so I am delighted when a guest takes a moment to provide a review, especially if the review is detailed (and positive of course:P)

 

Some hosts take into consideration  for accepting a reservation if a guest has left previous reviews for other hosts or not.  I am not that granular in my vetting process, but I can understand the motivation for many.

 

 

Thanks for you reply Linda, hopefully I'll get to a point that this won't bother me anymore 🙂

My instant booking also doesn't block ppl without reviews, but I sure go check the reviews after someone booked my place. 

Sean433
Level 10
Toronto, Canada

@René137 

Sometimes they don't leave a review because they have nothing good to say or had issues and would rather not write them. I have had this happen at least once that I know of. So if I ask them for a review once and they don't leave one, I don't ask again and I move on because there are many guests who do appreciate your place and will write a good review.

 

The ones who want to leave a good review will usually write it eloquently and with detail. The ones who you have to convince to write a review will usually be very short in their review which is often not even that helpful. E.g "great host" or "nice place". Those short reviews don't add any value since guests usually place more value on the reviews with more substance where they can get more information on your place.

 

 

I agree with you and I do believe that's the case most of the time, but I had cases where ppl did have good things to say but only forgot to write a review or were busy and couldn't do earlier.

 

That's why sometimes I prefer to ask the person to take sometime to leave them a review. If they do good, if they don't hopefully we wouldn't be hurt by AirbBnb search algorithm.

@René137    Like yourself, I've had many guests who were pleased with their stay and wrote in my guest book that I have in the unit, however did not do a review on ABB. I think some people just don't care enough to bother. 

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

I used to wonder why some people didn't leave me a review but then I look back at all the products I've purchased online or all the restaurants I've eaten in or the hotels I've stayed in or even all the storefronts I've stepped in and I've reviewed very few ,if not, none of them. I quickly delete all incoming requests for reviews (in life, not Airbnb) I am actually surprised by how many reviews I have gotten. I agree with @Sean433. I don't ask or expect a review. People who voluntarily write a review are usually the people who leave glowing ones. 

Thanks for posting this - I had the same question.  I have two units - separate, independent apartments side by side.  I have this one guest that books both units, for their group to participate in a sports competition nearby.  They have stayed (now between the two units) 5 times (the first year only one unit was available for them) and have never left a review.  They comment when I see them in person how much they love the place, how convenient it is, etc., but no review.

 

On top of that, this last visit they left the place a mess, in both units.  There used to be a way to leave comments "for Airbnb only" on the reviews page, but that is no longer there.  Is there a way for me to "block" them from booking again?

Unfortunately, I don't know if there's a way to block a particular profile while keeping the instant booking. Let's see if someone else would have a suggestion for this.

Gordon0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

I'm not entirely sure 'review fatigue' is such a big thing when it comes to Airbnb, and certainly not if you're more of a traditional host. The big guys, with 10+ listings, I get it, but not with us little fish. 

I get a pretty much 100% reviews, for which I'm grateful, but there's a band of hosts who refuse to leave them a) at all (because they're "too busy") or b) until they've been left one by the guest. 

If I stay with a host - glowing reviews or not - who doesn't leave reviews, this gets a mention in mine and I ding their communication rating. 

Well, I'm sure I'll get at a point that some reviews won't make much difference in my overall rating 🙂 not the case yet.

I agree with you with the communication rating, as host (and as guest) I always try to finish my reviews in the day they leave.